Bill and Kurt in Angoon (3 buoy "sleds" are on worktable)

At the base of the buoy is a brass pipe cap to seal the outer shell after the sled is inserted. The Hydrophone is connected by a line to base of the buoy.

We use a 6000 lb weight anchorline to connect to an anchor about 250 feet down. The hydrophone itself is connected to a separate line at a depth of approximately 65 feet, with a "standoff" to keep it separated from the anchorline and prevent extraneous noise from the rigging.

The anchor is made of 300 lbs. of steel plates, and is retrieved at the end of the season.


The heart of our entire system is our Control Board - known currently as the JEM5. (Jupiter Electronics Module - 5th generation)


Inside the JEM5

The GPS (global positioning system) receiving antenna and UHF (ultra-high frequency) transceiving antenna are located at the top of the "sled" (the inner casing of the buoy) and connect to the JEM5.

The JEM5 transmits the GPS and UHF communications to the Shore Controller, and receives commands from the Shore Controller as well as Handheld Controllers. This is how the whale sounds as well as other data are transmitted.

Communications with JEM5 can be also used to:

1. Set transmit durations
2. Choose when to transmit
3. Receive and sends telemetry information to & from shore
4. Control solar charging of batteries

There are also 6 batteries (12 volts of power) recharged by the onboard solar paneling. These can also be charged through the hydrophone connector so that the batteries can be kept at full capacity while in storage.


The Radio Repeater System is at the Kahua Ranch on the western slope of the Kohala mountains, and provide bi-directional repeating of the radio signal.

When the buoy transmits, the radio on the mountain hears it and simultaneously retransmits it on another frequency. The faint signal coming from the buoy is amplified by the repeater to the Shore Control.

Conversely, when the Shore Control System transmits commands to the buoys they are picked up by the Repeater and simultaneously retransmitted to the buoys. The Repeater transmits on different channels for the different buoys.

The Repeater System allows us to cover a very wide area (40 - 50 miles) for listening to the whales. Before installing the system we had about 1 - 2 miles of coverage.

With this extended range Jupiter may even experiment with a non-anchored, drifting buoy, as we will be able to track it as it drifts with the currents.


The Shore Control System, housed in our new laboratory facilities, consists of a computer connected directly to the internet, and also connected to a control box which is connected to the Radio Repeater.

The computer runs software that, when commanded through the web, tells a control box what commands to send to the radio or through the radio to the buoys. This allows remote control of the system from anywhere in the world that we have internet access.

There is also a small computer network, radio transceiver connected to an antenna mounted on the roof of our lab which sends transmissions to and from the Repeater. If the Repeater fails, this transceiver can work as a backup, but only to a maximum 2 mile radius.

We also use a small (handheld) hardware control system which translates commands from the computer so that they control the radio receiver.


Handheld control system with commands notebook

Last but not least, we have an uninterruptible power supply.



We have a small web-server in our lab which provides a "buoy administration page." This is our web-interface.

Using it we can send different commands (or queries) to all buoys at once, or to a specific buoy, such as:
1) Start transmitting now
2) Your transmit time should be x minutes long
3) What is your GPS latitude/longitude?
4) What is the water temperature?
5) Hydrophone gain can be controlled also, to adjust to the distance the whales are from the buoys.

We are also planning new automated technology (a sort of "autopilot") to be used for the first time. Some examples of autopilot functions:
1) Can keep track of battery voltage as reported by each buoy
2) If voltage gets too low, the buoy will be put into standby mode so that it can charge its battery
3) When voltage is high enough, buoy can be reactivated

This technology is in the final stages of development. When multiple buoys are deployed the system will be designed to select the appropriate combination of buoys for transmission depending on their battery state, as well as what sound stimuli they are hearing. The system will also monitor which buoys are hearing sounds at different times of the day, and could show (on a map) which buoy users are listening to at any specific time.


Early buoy test, Puako, Hawaii